WEBVTT
REPORTER: IT IS DEVASTATING AND
TRAGIC.
THIS GLIMPSE OF CRIME IN
BALTIMORE CAPTURED BY A CITY
WATCH CAMERA.
A POLICE CAR MOVING TO THE AREA,
JUST MINUTES BEFORE A MAN RUNS
INTO THE 2200 BLOCK OF ASHTON
STREET, CHASED BY A GUNMAN.
SECONDS LATER, THIS 28-YEAR-OLD,
MURDERED IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA,
SHOT IN THE HEAD.
>> THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS
REALLY UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL.
THE INTENT OF A HEADSHOT IS TO
MAKE SURE THAT YOU FINISH WHAT
YOU ARE INTENDED TO DO.
REPORTER: POLICE GATHERED
EVIDENCE, INCLUDING THIS PALM
PRINT ON THE VEHICLE.
>> WE HAVE INFORMATION OF THE
INDIVIDUAL WAS ACCORDING TO A
NICKNAME.
IN THE VIDEO, WE CAN SEE THE
SUSPECT, THEY PUT THEIR HAND
AGAINST THE BACK OF THE SUV THAT
HAD BEEN PARKED IN THE BLOCK AT
THE TIME.
REPORTER: DETECTIVES GREW
CONFIDENT THEY WOULD SOLVE THE
CASE QUICKLY, BUT LESS THAN 24
HOURS LATER, MORE VIOLENCE IN
THE 500 BLOCK OF SOUTH CATHERINE
STREET.
THE VICTIM THIS TIME YANCEY'S
, SUSPECTED KILLER, 28-YEAR-OLD
THELONOUS MONK.
>> WE BELIEVE MONK WAS KILLED IN
RETALIATION OF YANCEY.
IF WE WOULD HAVE HAD EVEN AN
ADDITIONAL 12 HOURS WE WOULD
HAVE HAD AN ARREST WARRANT FOR
MONK AND OUR WARRANT
APPREHENSION TASK FORCE COULD
HAVE TAKEN HIM OFF THE STREET
BEFORE SOMEBODY HAD A CHANCE TO
KILL HIM.
REPORTER: HOW QUICKLY CAN YOU
DETERMINE IT IS A CRIME OF
RETALIATION?
>> ALMOST ON THE SCENE.
REPORTER: BOTH MEN MURDERED IN
AUGUST 2015, A YEAR WHEN THE
CITY'S HOMICIDE RATE REACHED
144.
SO FAR THIS YEAR, POLICE ARE
INVESTIGATING WITHIN THAN 270
HOMICIDES.
-- MORE THAN 270 HOMICIDES.
THEY SAY AT LEAST 95 ARE
RETALIATION KILLINGS. <HOLD
THE RETALIATORY NATURE OF THIS,
IS IT AN ACT OF EMOTION OR
SOMETHING ELSE?
>> THERE'S ALWAYS AN ACT OF
EMOTION, BUT I THINK IT IS
SOMETHING ELSE, COLD AND
CALCULATED AND PREMEDITATED.
REPORTER: AND POLICE SAY USUALLY
INVOLVE ILLEGAL DRUGS, ROBBERIES
OF DRUG DEALERS AND OR GANG
BATTLES OVER TERRITORY.
A VICIOUS CYCLE WITH POLICE
LOOKING TO PROTECT THE NEXT
POTENTIAL VICTIM.
>> WE SEND ALL THE INFORMATION
WE GET ABOUT VICTIMS, WITNESSES
ANYONE TO OUR WAR ROOM BECAUSE
, THE FIRST THING WE NEED TO DO
IS FIND OUT WHO MAY BE NEXT,
TRYING TO IMMEDIATELY IDENTIFY
POSSIBLE ACTS OF RETALIATION TO
STOP IT.
REPORTER: BUT WHEN THEY CAN'T,
POLICE SAY THEY SECOND-GUESS
THEMSELVES WONDERING WHAT THEY
, MISSED AND WHAT ELSE THEY
COULD HAVE DONE TO SAVE A LIFE.
>> IF WE CAN MOVE FASTER, WHAT
CAN WE DO FASTER, WHAT CAN WE DO
BETTER?
HOW CAN WE BUILD THE TRUST A
LITTLE MORE?
REPORTER: DEANGELO ANGELO YANCEY
MURDER INVESTIGATION, POLICE SAY
IS CLOSED BY EXCEPTION, WITH THE
EVIDENCE IDENTIFYING THE
SHOOTER.
THE KILLING OF THELONOUS MONK...
>> WE HAVE NOT MADE AN ARREST IN
THAT CASE HOWEVER, WE DO HAVE A
PERSON OF INTEREST AND WE HAVE
SOME ACTIVE LEADS IN THAT CASE
WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON.
REPORTER: AT THIS POINT, POLICE
SAID THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TO
FILE CHARGES AND MAKE AN ARREST.
FOR THE 11 NEWS I-TEAM I'M BARRY
, SIMMS.
DONNA: POLICE TOLD THE I-TEAM
EVEN AFTER INVESTIGATING AND
DETERMINING A CRIME IS
RETALIATION, THEY STILL HAVE
PROBLEMS GETTING WITNESSES AND
FAMILY MEMBERS TO IDENTIFY A

Video obtained by the 11 News I-Team from Baltimore police shows the ruthlessness of retaliatory killings.

The Police Department shared the frustrations that detectives face in solving the crimes.

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It is devastating and tragic. A Baltimore CitiWatch camera shows a police car moving through the area just minutes before a man runs into the 2200 block of Ashton Street, chased by a gunman. Seconds later, 28-year-old Angelo Yancey is fatally shot in the head right in front of the camera.

"That's something that's up close and personal. The intent of a head shot is to make sure you finished what you intended to do," Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said.

Police gathered evidence including a palm print found on a vehicle.

"The individual that killed him, we had information that night by a nickname. We had some good video of that case, and in the video we could see the suspect put their hand against the back of an SUV parked in the block at the time," Baltimore police Homicide Division Chief Maj. Don Bauer said.

Detectives grew confident they would solve the case quickly. But less than 24 hours later, more violence came in the 500 block of South Catherine Street. The victim was Yancey's suspected killer, 28-year-old Theolonous Monk.

"We believe Monk was killed in retaliation of Yancey," Bauer said. "If we would have had even an additional 12 hours, we would have had an arrest warrant for Monk, and our Warrant Apprehension Task Force could have taken him off the street before somebody had a chance to kill him."

Asked how quickly during an investigation that detectives can determine the crime is an act of retaliation, Bauer said, "You can almost determine it on the scene."

Both men were murdered in August 2015, a year when the city's homicide rate reached 344. So far this year, police are investigating more than 270 homicides. They said at least 95 are retaliation killings.

Police said the crimes usually involve illegal drugs, robberies of drug dealers and/or gang battles over territory. It's a vicious cycle with police looking to protect the next potential victim.

"We send all the information we get about victims, witnesses to our war room because the first thing we need to do is find out who may be next, trying to immediately identify possible acts of retaliation to stop it," Davis said.

But when they can't stop it, police said they second-guess themselves, wondering what they missed and what else they could have done to save a life.

"If you can move faster, what can we do faster? Better? How can we build that trust a little more?" Bauer said.

Police said the Yancey murder investigation is closed by exception with evidence identifying the shooter.

In the killing of Monk, Bauer said, "We have not made an arrest in that case; however, we do have a person of interest and we have some active leads in that case we're working on."

At this point, police said they don't have enough to file charges and make an arrest.

Police told the 11 News I-Team that even after investigating and determining a crime is retaliation, they still have problems getting witnesses and family members to identify a suspect or testify in court.